Conwy

Conwy's population grew in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion, health and housing tenure.

The population reached nearly 120,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Conwy increased by 5.1%, from almost 110,000 to 115,000.

The addition of about 5,600 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of Wales (up 5.5% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Conwy was home to, on average, 0.73 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Conwy

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Conwy increased by three years, from 43 to 46 years.

This coastal area had a slightly higher average age than Isle of Wight (one of the most statistically similar areas to Conwy based on ONS area classifications) (46 years of age) and the highest average age in Wales.

The rise in age was because of an increase of almost 3,300 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 3,000.

About 14% of people in Conwy are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Denbighshire and Conwy by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in proportion of Welsh speakers

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Conwy fell from 29% to 27% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 442 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 5,850.

In Denbighshire (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Conwy), 25% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, down from 26% at the 2001 census. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 21% to 19%.

Monmouthshire was one of the few areas that saw an increase in the proportion of Welsh speakers (from 9.0% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2011), while Carmarthenshire saw the largest fall (from 50% to 44%).

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was higher than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Changing work life

The percentage of Conwy residents that were self-employed remained close to 11% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under one in two (48%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 45% in 2001. The percentage of Conwy residents that were unemployed increased from 3.7% to 4.1%.

The proportion of self-employed people fell at the third fastest rate of all local authority districts across Wales. As a result, this area had the country's sixth highest proportion of self-employed people and the lowest proportion of homeowners.

The rate of self-employment was higher than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Conwy residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.4% to 1.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 3.0%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care fell at the third fastest rate of all local authority districts across Wales. As a result, this area had the country's sixth lowest proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care and the lowest proportion of homeowners.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Conwy remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Denbighshire and Conwy by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Conwy

The number of people in Conwy that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 15,000 in 2001 to just over 30,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 14% to 26% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across Wales (from 19% to 32%).

The number of people in Conwy that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 85,000 in 2001 to just under 75,000 in 2011 (from 78% to 65%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 8,100 to just over 9,000 (from 7.4% to 7.8%).

Just over 580 people (0.3%) said they were Muslim, up from about 270 in 2001 (0.5%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Conwy increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Denbighshire and Conwy by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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